Writing With My Mouth Full

Urban Hike to the Little Red Lighthouse

I lived in Washington Heights for more than ten years and I spent my formative high school years uptown, but like most New Yorkers, I never really made it past my comfort zone even though that already meant way above 14th Street for me. “Hiking” down from 207th to 97th Street was a new experience for both Cameron and me. After a big lunch at home, we took the A train to the last stop in Manhattan and walked towards Dyckman Park where it looked more like New England than New York City.

It was an absolutely glorious day with the sun up and shining. The trees still had their leaves on and the light breeze was enough to cool us down. Through the park, we made it along the Hudson River where there was a walking path right next to the Amtrak rail. A short fence kept us away from it, but it was still exhilarating whenever a train would zoom by. For the next hour or so, we kept walking until we reached a dead end. We had no choice but to cut through thorny bushes and walk on the rocks right next to the river. We probably did something illegal, but the old mattresses we saw tucked under the rocks led us to think other people have gone that way, too.

Twenty-eight blocks later and still no dead bodies to be found, we saw our reward: the 75-year old George Washington Bridge. At the bottom of the bridge, a more legitimate-looking pathway emerged from Fort Tryon Park. We walked towards the picnic area where we saw our second reward: the little red lighthouse, the only one in Manhattan.

It was pretty cool to see it even though I haven’t read the Hildegard H. Swift book because I’ve had a fascination with lighthouses ever since the Dr. and I drove all over the coast of Maine to visit each one marked on our map. The little red lighthouse under the great gray bridge was actually used by mariners passing through the Hudson until it was deactivated in 1947. They were going to dismantle and auction it off, but a lot of people who loved the book convinced the powers that be to keep it as a reminder of an area once called Jeffrey’s Hook. In the book, the little red lighthouse is happy and content until a bridge is built over it. But in the end, the lighthouse learns that it still has an important job to do and that there is still a place in the world for an old lighthouse.

We continued walking until the sun started to set, past the huge sanitation building and the Fairway on 135th Street. Even New Jersey looked pretty harmless from our side of the river. It got dark right away and we made it to 97th Street just in time for red wine, sausages and cheeses at the Vintage Wine Bar on 93rd Street.

Lechon Kawali, Deep-Fried Pork Belly

My brother loves to cook. In fact, together with a friend, he cooks for small private events in Manila. He’d like for his business to be a bigger catering service in the future but I think he likes the fact that he’s paying attention to every detail in smaller portions than, say, a batch for more than a hundred guests. Of course, he has my mother’s full support. She hires him to cater her parties whenever she is in Manila entertaining. Lechon kawali, or deep-fried pork belly, is one of the best Filipino staples. We like our pork and we like it even better deep-fried in hot, hot oil. The last time my brother visited New York, he made this and I swooned (and then I think I got a heart attack because of clogged arteries from all the fat) so I just had to call him to ask for the recipe when I had the craving.

Letting the pork belly air dry after boiling and freezing it before frying are important. After boiling it until it was soft, I left the house at lunch and did not return until 10pm. I put them in the freezer and did not fry them until the next day. So it takes some time but I can guarantee you that all the trouble is worth it.

Ingredients:
pork belly
salt, pepper, oil

1. Sprinkle the pork belly with salt and pepper and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours up to a day then boil in water until soft using a big pot with a heavy lid on low to medium fire. This should take about two hours.
2. Transfer to a colander in a large bowl to drain excess water and let it sit in room temperature to air dry.
3. When the pork belly is dry, cut it in four large chunks. Set them on a plate, separated, and store in freezer until the next day.
4. When ready to cook, heat a lot of oil in a heavy-duty pot, low to medium fire. In the meantime, take the pork belly out of the freezer. You will fry them frozen. There should be enough oil to deep-fry the pork belly chunks. Dip one chunk in the oil using a pair of tongs to test if the oil is hot enough. You’ll just know. Set them gently in the oil and fry until golden brown, uncovered. Serve while hot and crunchy with crushed garlic in soy sauce and vinegar on the side.

Where to eat in Barcelona, Spain: Cal Pep

Our best dining experience in Barcelona? Hands-down, it was at Cal Pep. I read about Chef Pep and how he still cooks at the bar and entertains guests with his cigarette-smoke voice as if he’s known them for years, but no one seemed to know where Plaza de les Olles was until a local overheard us ask a boqueria waiter for directions. The waiter didn’t know either so the local took a napkin and sketched out a street map for us. He was curious as to how we heard about Cal Pep because he told us it’s one of Barcelona’s foodie secrets. (Maybe that’s why no one wanted to tell us where it was!) This got us even more excited and a 40-minute waiting time spent standing behind the bar stools (with champagne, natch) didn’t seem to be an inconvenience.

When we were finally seated, we noticed that the printed placemats matched the art hanging on the walls. They are sketches from different artists and they randomly give a different one to each customer. The more you make a mess, the more you get it replaced. So we sat at the bar elbow-to-elbow with everyone else–there is a dining room in the back but the action happens at the counter–and let one of the bartenders serve whatever he wanted us to eat (omakase, Catalan style!) while we started with the traditional toast rubbed with grilled tomato and garlic. The next three hours were pretty much heavenly. Everything was made with passion and you could watch the chefs toss, sautÃ©, grill and fry different ingredients with gusto.

Almejas, or clams, were quickly fried in olive oil and parsley. They were so fresh, you really didn’t need much with them. The purple taint inside was so nice to look at, too. The chipirones, or baby squid, were the size of my thumb and cooked with garbanzos. This dish changed my distaste for chickpeas. The langoustines came next and we spent so much time peeling, eating the meat and sucking the juice out of their heads. They were a lot of work but every minute was worth it because the Dr. was so pleased. A German father and son next to us saw how well we ate, the father put some of his roasted pimento peppers on our plates to try. We ended up swapping stories throughout our meal.

We could have ended our night there but we really wanted to taste the way Cal Pep cooks fish. It was almost 1am and they’ve ran out of monkfish so they served us seabass instead. The bartender showed us a fresh piece of fish and asked for our approval before cooking it. Before serving it to us, he filleted it for us.

And it was at Cal Pep where we ended our vacation in Barcelona. We were full, drunk and happy as we stumbled back to our room in Hostal Goya room. After seven days of rigorous hiking, Barcelona meant to be our reward. It was just that.

Where to eat in Barcelona, Spain: Tapelia and Xador

During our hike in the Pyrenees, we met a French family who has lived in Barcelona for the last ten years. They recommended Tapelia for their more-adventurous tapas and paellas. We tried the pig’s ears which were crunchy and addictively chewy. We had wine with it but it would have been more perfect with a nice pint of beer. The octopus with mushrooms and potatoes was tender and delicious. The squid was as good, if not better. And I could have eaten the anchovies with aubergines the entire night.

We went on a Saturday night at 10:30pm which is prime dinner time in Barcelona, but Tapelia was still under-staffed. It took a while to get the menu, have our orders taken and get our final check, but it also made for a quiet first night in Barcelona.

We also couldn’t skip the paellas while in Spain. There were several fast-food type of places serving them around the city but we ended up at Xador in the El Born neighborhood. While also hiking the Pyrenees, we met a young German couple we ended up following during one of the routes to avoid getting lost. Funnily enough, we crossed paths again on the bus back to Barcelona so we got together one night to hang out and have dinner. Between the four of us, we ordered the langoustine and the squid-ink paella. They were just okay because to me, paella is like risotto–it’s harder and harder to find people who can make it from scratch without it being soupy and mushy.

Where to eat in Barcelona, Spain: Santa Caterina Market + Costa Gallega

The Santa Caterina Market is the new boqueria. There’s more space in between the stalls. It’s more airy and better lit. The stores take credit cards and can deliver your orders. There’s even wireless Internet connection. Of course, it’s known for its Enric Miralles and Benedetta Tagliabue (EMBT)-designed flying carpet roof than anything else, but its location is so central it’s hard not to do your shopping in there, too. One day before we started our walk, we had breakfast at one of the food stalls and ordered the stewed tripe. Someday, I’ll be making tripe like this, too.

We didn’t always go to the boqueria for lunch. After a long day of sight-seeing, we stopped by Costa Gallega on Passeig de GrÃ cia. They have several branches in the city and is definitely a tourist magnet, but we had some nice tapas there which kept us going until dinnertime. Under the hanging hams, we sat at the bar and pointed to several things in front of us: anchovies with peppers and olives, ham-wrapped mozzarella balls and croquettas, a truly European treat.